Hope as a Transformative Force: The 2025 Jubilee Year
by Pope Francis
The Jubilee National Walking Pilgrimage of Hope
Report for the Spring Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops of England & Wales
The 2025 National Walking Pilgrimage of Hope is a response to Pope Francis’ call to become ‘pilgrims of hope’ during the 2025 Jubilee. It is an initiative of Hearts in Search of God, a 3-year project to promote and develop walking pilgrimage in the Catholic dioceses of England & Wales.
The Pilgrimage will have four main Ways converging at Nottingham on Saturday 13th September 2025 for shared prayer and celebration. It will culminate with Solemn Mass for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross the following day at St Barnabas’ Cathedral. The Ways will bless our nations with a Sign of the Cross and with the Gospels and will embody the values of the Sisters of the Holy Cross of compassion, faith, prayer and community.
The four main Ways of SS Matthew, Mark, Luke and John start at the Catholic cathedrals in Cardiff, Leeds, Norwich and London, and will visit Birmingham, Northampton and Hallam cathedrals as well as the Walsingham Shrine. There are feeder routes to the four main Ways from all the other Catholic cathedrals of England & Wales for keen long-distance walkers.
The paths follow established hiking routes and are off road as much as possible. In total 652 miles will be walked over 44 days by four small groups of 4-6 ‘perpetual pilgrims’ who will walk the full distance of each Way. They will stay in basic accommodation, hopefully with the parishes enroute.
By early May pilgrims will be able to register to join for day stages. Stretches which are suitable for wheelchairs and buggies will be identified. There will be opportunities for non-walkers to provide enroute support, hospitality and prayer.
A steering group has been formed to facilitate the initiative. I am especially grateful to Kinga Kosterska, of the Conference’s Department of Evangelisation & Discipleship, and to Fr Simon Gillespie of the Diocese of Nottingham for their involvement in the group.
I would be grateful for the Bishops’ prayers for the Pilgrimage and for any support your curial and diocesan officers can offer to promote the initiative and encourage parishes enroute to be involved. More information can be found at: https://www.pilgrimways.org.uk/national-pilgrims-of-hope-walking-pilgrimage
Thank you for your support.
Phil McCarthy, Hearts in Search of God Project Lead
The National Jubilee Walking Pilgrimage of Hope
In this Holy Year, announced by Pope Francis, a national Pilgrimage of Hope will take place in September 2025, with 4 main Ways blessing our country with a Sign of the Cross. The Ways will start at Catholic cathedrals in Cardiff, Leeds, Norwich and London and will finish at Nottingham Cathedral on 13th September 2025, the eve of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Full details of the Pilgrimage have been published online and can be found here.
We very much hope that parishioners will want to be part of this Pilgrimage of Hope and we cordially invite them to join us for the day or part of the day. Numbers of Day Pilgrims will be limited and registration will open in May. We also ask you to pray for us, for the safety of pilgrims and for the success of the Pilgrimage and Jubilee.
Wishing you every blessing of the Jubilee year, during which we are all called to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.
In peace
Ann Milner
Pilgrimage of Hope Parish Liaison volunteer Contact: pilgrimsofhope@famma.info
